Rocket-projectile supporting device



Nov. 5; 1957 R. A. ROBERT ET AL 2,811,900-

ROCKET-PROJECTILE SUPPORTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 22, 1953 Nov. 5, 1957 R. A. ROBERT ET AL ROCKET-PROJECTILE SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Jan. 22, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 5, 1957 R. A. ROBERT ET AL 2,811,900

ROCKET-PROJECTILE SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Jan; 22. 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 5, 1957 R. A. ROBERT ET AL.

ROCKET-PROJECTILE SUPPORTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet} 4 Filed Jan. 22. 1953 hm .QQ A w mum Patented Nov. 5, 1957 2,811,900 ROCKET-PROJECTILE SUPPORTING DEVICE Roger Aime Robert, Boulogne-sur-Seine, and Pierre Matge, Drancy, France This invention relates to means for supporting rocketprojectiles on an aircraft.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device whereby a large number of rocket-projectiles may be conveniently retained on an aircraft in the most favorable position for firing.

A related object is to provide such a device whereby rocket-projectiles may be attached under an aircraft wing in one or more vertical ranks each comprising more than two projectiles.

A further object is to provide such a device which is of light weight, small in size and will develop only a very small amount of drag.

It is an object to provide such a device which will ensure an effective retention of each individual projectile as well as of the entire plurality or bunch of projectiles supported therefrom, and-which will do so regardless of the stresses exerted on said bunch both due to gravity and to accelerations resulting from the aircrafts flight.

It is also an object to provide such a device whereby pocket-projectiles will be effectively retained without requiring any substantial modification of the projectiles.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device wherein the means provided for supporting a rocketprojectile are adapted to be automatically ejected on launching of the projectile.

A further object isto provide such a device which will not alter in any way the trajectory of the projectiles.

An object of the invention is to provide such a device wherein the firing of the rocket-projectiles is reliably ensured.

An object is to provide such a device wherein malfunctioning of the firing means associated with any one projectile will not interfere with the firing of the remaining projectiles of the bunch. j

A further object is to provide such a device whereby only that projectile which has been subjected to misfire is made inoperant, whereas all the remaining projectiles, including that from which the defective projectile is directly suspended, are still available'for firing. at the target. According to'the invention, each rocket-projectile is supported at three'non-aligned points thereof from a sup- 1 port and/orfrom a projectile'located above the first mentioned projectile in the same rank, so as to be effectively blocked frommovement in any direction.

Further, according to the invention, only one of the points of attachment is located in a vertical diametric plane of theprojectile, while the other two points of attachment lie also in a vertical plane but spaced from the first mentioned plane.

A feature of .the invention lies in the fact that the empennage or tailfin structure of the projectile is used for attaching the projectile, whereby such attachment can be accomplished at points lying in comparatively remote transverse sections of the projectile, for the benefit of an eifective blocking thereof. Y

The supporting device according to the invention may comprise a vertical supporting means for attaching the rear end of the projectiles thereto, and means for inter connecting the projectiles in a transverse plane located towards the rear end of the latter.

' The interconnecting means are adapted to be automatically released as the projectiles are fired, so that the outer surface of each projectile is substantially free of any asperities or projections, whereby the aerodynamic or streamlined characteristics of the projectiles are as good as in a conventional projectile of the character described, and the range and accuracy of fire are in no way impaired.

In the ensuing illustrative description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a general perspective view:

Fig. 2 is a partial view in elevation on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a corresponding front view;

Fig. 4 is a side view of an empennage in expanded condition;

Fig. 5 is a corresponding side view; I

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rear section of a projectile;

' Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a guideway assembly on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 8 is a front view of the guideway;

Fig. 9 is a section on line 99 of Fig. 8, with the said part in place;

Fig. 10 is a section on line 1010 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of a bar; and

Fig. 12 is a section on line 1212 of Fig. 8.

With particular, reference to Fig. 2, secured under the wing 20 of an aircraft by means of suitably contoured or faired supporting posts 21 and 22, is a horizontal supporting cross beam 23 consisting of a tube with tapered ends respectively 24 and 25, the end taper 24 being directed forward and the end 25 aft of the craft. Depending from the cross beam 23 towards the forward end thereof is an :ar'cuate or bifurcated suspension member 26 (Fig. 3) formed with two downwardly directed branches 27 and 28. Each branch terminates in an attachment or retainer device 29 and 30 respectively, described in detail hereinafter. Depending from the cross beam 23 near the aft end thereof and formed integrally with the cross beam is a tubular vertical post 31 having an elongated cross sectional shape and having secured to it on opposite sides of the vertical mid-plane VV thereof, e.,g. on the lateral sides of the rectangular post, retainer members 32. A retainer member 32 comprises a plate 33 secured to post 31 with screws 35, and formed with two apertures therein, including the circular aperture 36 and the elongated aperture 37. The openings are arranged one over the other as visible from Fig. 3.

The rocket-projectiles 40 are of conventional type, but are provided with two retainer members at the rear end thereof and one retainer member at the forward end, out

of alignment with the rear retainer members. The rear.

retainer members are in the form of pins or the like and are adapted to cooperate with the apertures 36 and 37. According to a feature of the invention, the said retainer members are provided by the pins or equivalent means constituting the pivotal axes by which the movable sections of the tail fins are pivoted to the adjacent stationary sections thereof. Thus, Fig. 4 illustrates a tailfin 41 comprising a stationary section 42 rigid with the rear part 43 of the projectile, and having pivoted to it in a fashion known tailfin section 44 is a spring 50 which acts to urge the movable fin section 44 to its expanded condition in which said movable section is in alignment with the fixed fin section 42, as shown in Fig. 5.

According to a feature of the invention, the pin 47 is formed adjacent the rear part of the tailfin with an extension in the form of a rod 51 adapted to cooperate with either of the apertures 36 and 37. In practice, all the tailfins of a projectile will thus be provided with rearwardly projecting extensions 51, 52, 53 and 54 respectively, and an adjacent pair of extensions serve to retain the projectile in a manner more fully described hereinafter.

Prior to the release or firing of a projectile, the expansible sections of the tailfins are retained in folded condition by a clamp 100 (Fig. 6) which may simply be provided by a strip of resilient material folded to the shape of a U to form branches 101 and 102, each branch acting as an abutment for the expansible sections of an adjacent pair of tailfins, as clearly shown in Fig, 6. The clamp ltltlis held on the rear end of the projectile by its inherent resiliency. In this condition the clamp isacross the jet nozzle orifice 103 through which the propulsive gases are discharged, so that on firing, the clamp is propelled by the gas jet rearwardly, the brancheslOl and 102 thus releasing the tailfinsections 44 which are then caused to expand under the action of springs 50.

A forward retainer member 29 comprising a lug having a shank 60 (Figs. 7 to 12), which may be screw threaded for attachment thereof and is extended by'a journal 61 engaged between a shoulder 62 and a head 63, the latter being slotted for cooperation with a screwdriver. This retainer member 29 has its screw-threaded shank 60 engaging either one of the branches 27 and 28 of the bifurcated suspension member 26 or the body of a rocket projectile. This retainer member 29 comprises also a slideway unit now to be described. This unit 64 comprises a pair of positioning bars 65 and 66 formed as channels with the flanges 67, 68 and 69, 70 respectively. Located within the channel recess 71 or 72 of each channel element, is a box-shaped block 73 having a through perforation 74 formed in it through which a frangible pin 75 extends. The pin 75 extends through both positioning elements through the perforations 76 thereof, and thus serves to maintainthe positioning elements 65 and 66 in assembled relationship owing to'the enlarged ends 78and 79 of the pin, with the elements abutted at one end thereof against the adjacent faces 80 and 81 of the block 73. The element 65 i formed adjacent its opposite end with a cylindrical opening 82 serving to receive the body 83 of a screw 84, the head 85 of which is adapted to engage against the face 86 of element 66, while the threaded end 87 of the screw cooperates with a correspondingly threaded hole 88 in the element 66.

The bearing portion 61 is slightly larger in vertical dimension than the thickness of the branches 67, 69 of the positioning elements 65 and 66, so as to enable the bearing surface to slide freely in the guideway defined by the adjacent branches. The head 63 is slightly less in height than one half the gap between the flanges 67 and 68 of a positioning element so as to allow another head similar to head 63, opposite this latter to be positioned within the channel recesses 71 and 72, as described later.

Each rocket is provided with a pair of diametrally opposed retainer members 29 similar to that described with references to 'Figs. 7 to 12 secured either directly to the body of the rocket or to a collar such as 90 fitted thereabout, the retainer members 29 having their head portions '63 directed outwardly, and the members 29 are arranged in a diametric plane of the rocket parallel to the plane defined by the extensions 51 and 52 of an adjacent pair of rockets.

As will appear from the foregoing description, the rocket supporting device secured to the carrier aircraft thus comprises: on the'one hand, rearwardly of the structure, a post of standard 31 supporting laterally thereof the rear retainer members 32 which thus provide a series of successive apertures 361, 371, 372 and 36s, 37s, preferably alternately round and elongated in shape, these apertures being associated with one of the lateral sides of the post and with the other side 96, a second set of apertures 36'1, 37'1, 36's, 37's 36's, 37's; and on the other hand, forwardly of the structure, a pair of forward retainer members 29 and 30 substantially in a common horizontal plane and spaced by a distance substantially equal to the sum of the diameter of a rocket plus the width of the post.

The manner in which the rocket projectiles are attached to the supporting device so far described will now be explained.

A rocket projectile having its tailfin retained in folded condition with the clamp 102 is grasped and the adjacent pair of extensions thereof such as 51 and 52 are inserted into a respective pair of apertures such as 36'1 and 37's. This insertion is facilitated by the fact that one of these apertures is oblong, so that any slight dimensional tolerances resulting from manufacture can be compensated for. The rocket thus has its rear end blocked, and its forward portion is now moved towards the branch 28 of bifurcated member 26. A slideway 64 is passed over one of the heads 63, projecting from the body of said rocket. The head then rests on the branches 68 and 70. The insertion of the slideway is readily effected because the positioning elements are assembled with one another only by the cotter pin 75 in the block 73. Simultaneously, the slideway 64 is engaged on the retainer member 29 secured-to one branch (e. g. 28) of the suspension member 26, this movement being guided by cooperation of the shoulder 62 and head 63 projecting from the end of said branch with the bars 65 and 66.

After the sliding movements have been completed, it will be understood that two heads 63, rigid respectively with the member 26 and a rocket, extend between the positioning elements 65'1 and 661. The screw 84 is then placed in position whereupon the relative assembly of the two positioning elements is completed. The attachment of rocket 40 to the device is thereby completed. The projectile 401 is attached in a similar manner to the end of the branch 27 of the bifurcated suspension member 26.

The projectile 40' is next attached in the same way as the projectile 40'1, the apertures 36's and 37's being used for securing the rear end and retainer member 29? which is diametrically opposite retainer member 29'}, being used for securing the forward end of the projectile, the retainer member fulfilling a similar function in respect of attachment of projectile 40's as that fulfilled by retainer member 29.% rigidly connected with the branch 28 of the suspension member 26. Similarly, projectile 402 and the remaining projectiles below it are successively attached.

A rocket-projectile supported in the manner indicated above is effectively blocked against any movement regardless of the direction in which forces may be subsequently applied to it. The cooperation between the longitudinal tail extensions and the openings 36, 37, is such as to preclude all possibility of displacement other than in forward direction (since a rearward displacement is prevented owing to the abutment of the lugs 46 against plate 33). Attachment of the front section of the projectile through the immediate slideway device described hereinabove makes locking complete. The above is true both for the upper projectile and for all the remaining rockets in each rank.

As a rocket is fired, the thrust from the jet is transmitted through the upper head 63 rigid with the rocket to the block 73, which carries the pin 75 thereon. The pin is sheared adjacent holes 76 of positioning elements 65 and 66 rigidly connected withthe uppermost rocket (or the suspension member), through the retainer member 29. The block 73 slidable within the recesses 71 and 72 defined by the positioning elements is expelled. During this movement, the rear part of the rocket is also guided owing tocooperation between the tubular extensions 51 and 52, and the apertures 36 and 37, and the rocket is launched at the desired angle of fire. Under the effect of the drag and/or blast effects, the elements 65 and 66 which are only retained against the round head 63 of member 29 by the pressure exerted by the screw 84, are caused to slide along the said head 63 and escape at the forward end of the elements 65 and 66, which end is clear, owing to the previous ejection of the block 73. The next higher rocket therefore has no other projection than the minute head portion 63.

The device described has an additional advantage in that it minimizes the danger of accidental misfiring or non-ignition of the jet propulsion means of a rocket. In the event of such misfire, as the upper rocket is fired, the propulsive effect from the jet thereof not only causes the pin located immediately above it to be sheared, but also shears the lower pin forming part of the means for retaining the rocket which should have been fired but was not, since the latter owing to its inertia does not participate in the forward movement. The rocket overlying the defective one is therefore effectively launched and only the defective rocket drops under gravity and serves no useful purpose.

We claim:

1. A device for connecting together two adjacent rocket bombs of a vertical stack comprising a first fixed member projecting from the upper one of the two rocket bombs, a second fixed member facingthe first fixed member and projecting from the lower one of the two rocket bombs, and slide means interposed between said two rocket bombs in cooperating relationship with said fixed members and comprising two opposed rails, a block positioned forwardly of said rails in sliding relationship therewith, a frangible transverse pin extending through said rails and block, and means rearwardly obturating said rails; said slide means comprising two opposed rails, a block positioned forwardly of said rails in sliding relationship therewith, a frangible transverse pin extending through said rails and block, and means rearw-ardly obturating said rails; said first and second fixed members comprising circular heads cooperating with said rails.

2. An aircraft weapon comprising a vertical support fixed to the aircraft, means on said support defining a plurality of vertically aligned apertures including one having a forward opening, a plurality of rocket bombs arranged in parallel relationship in a vertical stack, two longitudinal pins supported by each of said rocket bombs and cooperating with two of said apertures to guide the associated one of said rocket bombs along a first part of its flight, connecting means interposed between each two successive rocket bombs in a zone where said rocket bombs are closest to each other, said connecting means including means frangible by the thrust of the rocket jet, support means fixed to the aircraft at the upper part of said vertical support, and'connecting means frangible by the thrust of the rocket jet and connecting the uppermost one of said rocket bombs to said support means.

3. Device for attaching a rocket bomb to an overlying support comprising a lug fixed to the rocket bomb and extending upwardly therefrom in the launching position, two rails parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rocket bomb and having mutually inwardly facing U-sections enclosing the lug, a block positioned between the legs of the U-section rails forwardly of the lug, a shear pin extending through the block and the bases of the U-section rails, a second lug facing the first lug, fixed to the overlying support and positioned between the legs of the U-section rails, both lugs having shanks extending between the mutually opposed ends of the U-section rail logs, and screw means retaining together the rearward ends of the rails.

4. Device for interconnecting two superposed rocket bombs comprising a hollow parallelepiped having an internal cavity in the shape of a parallelepiped, each face of the hollow parallelepiped constituting an abutment means, a first lug fixed to the upper rocket bomb and penetrating into the cavity, and a second lug fixed to the lower rocket bomb and penetrating into the cavity, the forward wall of the hollow parallelepiped being frangible by either lug in response to propulsive thrust of the related rocket bomb.

5. Device for interconnecting two superposed rocket bombs comprising a first U-section rail positioned with its mean plane perpendicular to the plane containing the longitudinal axes of the rocket bombs, a second similar rail positioned symmetrically to the first rail with the ends of the legs of its U-section facing those of the first rail and slightly spaced therefrom, a first lug having a shank fixed to the upper rocket bomb and depending therefrom to extend through the space between the opposed upper legs of the two rails and an enlarged head at its lower end positioned in the cavity defined by the two rails, a second lug having a shank fixed to the lower rocket bomb and projecting upwardly therefrom to extend through the space between the opposed lower legs of the two rails and an enlarged head at its upper end positioned in the said cavity, a first block positioned in said cavity at the forward end thereof and fixed to said rails by readily frangible means, and a second block positioned in said cavity at the rearward end thereof, said two blocks being in contact with said two enlarged heads.

6. Device for securing two rocket bombs in superposed parallel relationship comprising a box-shaped member adapted to be positioned between the two rocket bombs, a pair of lugs having enlarged heads positioned inside the member and shanks extending outwardly therefrom respectively in opposite directions and adapted to be attached respectively to the two rocket bombs, the two heads being substantially in contact with the interior surfaces of the box-shaped member, the front wall of the member being sufficiently fragile to be ruptured by impact of a head thereon caused by the propulsive thrust of a rocket bomb, and the walls of the member through which the shanks extend having each a longitudinal groove from end to end thereof embracing said shanks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,414,579 Anderson et al. Jan. 21, 1947 2,422,660 Elder et al June 24, 1947 2,481,910 DArdenne Sept. 13, 1949 2,591,834 Kuka Apr. 8, 1952 2,630,740 Robert et al. Mar. 10, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 431,590 Italy Mar. 2, 1948 632,599 Great Britain Nov. 28, 1949 639,766 Great Britain July 5, 1950 

